Today concludes Doulas of OC's First Annual Diaper Drive to benefit OC Rescue Mission in Tustin, CA. We are happy to report that we had a huge response from the community and were able to hand-deliver your contributions to the donation center earlier this afternoon.
In September of 2016 KTLA, OC Register and other news outlets put out the word about a dire need for diapers & wipes at OC Rescue Missionβs Village of Hope; a transitional community for the homeless in Orange County. Being that we are in the business of birth and babies, we quickly decided that this would be a wonderful cause to get behind and looked to enlist our community to help.
Our First Annual Diaper Drive launched in November. We partnered with Laguna Beach OBGYN and The Yoga Mat in Orange where we set up collection boxes for patients and patrons to drop-off diapers during business hours. Our own office in Costa Mesa served as a drop-off hub as well.
Weeks went by and the empty boxes at each drop-off location began to fill up with diapers & wipes. The holiday spirit of giving was in the air and people generously donated to this worthy cause. Soon our entryway was overflowing with diapers just waiting to cover those cute little baby bums.
Our collection efforts officially ended last week and today we commenced tallying the final numbers prior to dropping off the diapers. We are excited to report that we collected 2,281 diapers and 2,760 wipes. Experts say that with this amount you could diaper 1 child up to a year! Yay for clean and happy babies!
The highlight of our experience was meeting "Guitar Kenny", one of the Warehouse Managers. He shared his personal story of how the OC Rescue Mission helped get him off the streets and recover from addiction. It was encouraging to hear about all of the great work OCRM is doing in the community, not only for babies, but for women, children, and men of all walks of life.
It goes without saying (but we want to say it, so we will) that we could not have done this without you! Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for your generosity and enthusiasm in getting behind this cause. Thank you to Dr. Kenneth James & Allison Molinski at Laguna Beach OBGYN and Courtney Short & Natalie Ostad at The Yoga Mat! Your partnership in this endeavor is extremely appreciated.
The success of this community-centered donation drive has inspired us and given us many new ideas to consider in regards to philanthropic involvement. We truly want our community to thrive and are eager to continue providing assistance and support wherever we can. Stay tuned for another community drive in April - this time focusing on the importance of well-woman care. And again in late-2017 for our 2nd Annual Diaper Drive!